Eastern flowering dogwood © Mickaw2
Tamworth, Midland, Hamilton, Caledon, Kingston, Thunder Bay, March 19, 2026 – Ontario Nature, a leading environmental charity, is proud to announce the recipients of its inaugural Nature Network Grants Initiative.
Ontario Nature has a Nature Network of more than 150 member groups from across the province that champion local conservation. The network forms the backbone of Ontario Nature. Among other things, Nature Network groups lead successful environmental education, land stewardship and securement, community science, and advocacy. Late last year, Ontario Nature announced that it would pilot a Nature Network Grants Initiative to help fund impactful capacity building projects.
Ontario Nature was delighted to receive many applications from the Nature Network for impactful projects and are happy to announce funding for six projects across the province that help wild species and wild spaces.
They are:
- Friends of the Salmon River (Tamworth), receiving $750 to grow and provide native plants to improve the quality of local ecosystems.
- Friends of Wye Marsh (Midland), receiving $500 to replace invasive species with native species to improve habitat quality in an important ecosystem.
- Hamilton Naturalists, receiving $1,000 to undertake a project to purchase equipment to improve restoration work in nature sanctuaries.
- Headwaters Nature (Caledon), receiving $1,000 to undertake a project to restore native wild species compositions of a forest community by purchasing plants and equipment.
- Kingston Field Naturalists, receiving $750 to support learning about nature through cataloging a collection of wildlife specimens.
- Thunder Bay Field Naturalists, receiving $1,000 to undertake a project to monitor at-risk bats.
Ontario Nature congratulates all six of these groups on receiving the funding. It intends to continue this Nature Network Grants Initiative annually.
The Nature Network is a powerful force for conservation and alerts Ontario Nature to provincial matters. The work supported by these grants will have tremendous local impact.
Quotes
“With this grant from Ontario Nature we will offer two workshops for the Kingston Teen Field Naturalists, students from the Society for Conservation Biology (Kingston Chapter) and interested members of Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN). Over the years, Anne Robertson has assembled a KFN collection of over 600 specimens, including 153 bird species (mounted and skins), nests, mounted mammals (and skins), animal skulls, and skeletons that include reptiles, amphibians, and insect-related material. She used these artifacts to teach the Teens & Junior Naturalists about Ontario species. Anne also continues to loan specimens to educators in the Kingston area and Prince Edward County.” – Shirley French, Kingston Field Naturalists
“The Ontario Nature grant has allowed us to replace broken and aging equipment used by our volunteers for stewardship activities. With this new equipment we have increased our volunteer capacity at our nature sanctuaries and urban sites – more invasive plants are being removed and more native plant species are getting in the ground!” – Jen Baker, Hamilton Naturalists’ Club
“The Friends of the Salmon River (FSR) have embarked on a project to grow and provide a range of native trees, bushes and flowering plants, to be planted throughout the watershed. This will increase the natural areas around water bodies which will act as buffers, prevent erosion, mitigate floods and create habitats for countless species. By planting native trees, shrubs and smaller plants in critical areas, we can greatly improve the quality of the ecosystem.” – Friends of the Salmon River
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Contact
John Hassell, Communications and Engagement Director, Editor | Ontario Nature
johnh@ontarionature.org | 416-786-2171
About
Ontario Nature protects wild species and wild spaces through conservation, education and public engagement. A charitable organization, Ontario Nature represents 9,500 members, 130,000 supporters and 150 member groups from across Ontario. For more information, visit ontarionature.org.
We acknowledge that there are 46 treaties and other agreements that cover the territory, now called Ontario, and our roles and responsibilities as Treaty partners. We recognize the inherent rights and responsibilities of Indigenous Nations, who have cared for and governed Turtle Island since time immemorial.